Is Accuracy Everything?

You are all being very patient while I fool about with HDR technique. Thank you. Years ago I shot HDR all the time, had set up my own Photomatix presets and would batch process everything that I'd shot on a real estate shoot so that scenes through windows would look reasonable and all dark corners of rooms could be seen clearly. I'd usually have to tinker for a few moments with particular results but having set up a particular DSLR body to shoot nothing but HDR sets, everything sort of flowed through the established workflow and I never thought much about it.

My new E-M5/2 body has an actual HDR button on it which (back in the day) might well have saved me a lot of time and money. And so I have started to examine possibilities for using HDR processing on regular landscape blips or at least to work out whether it's a good idea or not.

Anyway, up above I have shot and processed the same scene in two ways. The conventional approach (bottom) is probably more true to the scene as I saw it but the "painterly style" HDR result has an appeal of its own I think. If you have a moment, please examine in LARGE. I'd value your thoughts. There are no "correct" responses. I honestly want to know what people think.

I am now writing the next morning and I am immensely pleased that so many of you have taken the time and trouble to comment so thoughtfully on what I have posted. I must say that you have helped me enormously by what you have said. I will not reply directly to any of your comments on this blip lest I influence someone who is yet to say something. With the next blip (this evening) I will try to summarise what you have collectively suggested and publish my own feelings on the matter. Many many thanks, yet again.